HONG KONG — Apple said it has deleted Meta’s WhatsApp messaging service and Threads social media program from the service Store in China in accordance with Chinese authorities’ requests.
Chinese officials withdrew the apps from the store on Friday, citing unspecified national security concerns.
Their departure coincides with heightened tensions between the United States and China over trade, technology, and national security.
Apple Pulls WhatsApp And Threads From App Store On Beijing’s Orders
The United States has threatened to ban TikTok due to national security concerns. However, while TikTok, owned by Chinese technology giant ByteDance, is popular in the United States, apps such as WhatsApp and Threads are not widely utilized in China.
Instead, the texting program WeChat, owned by the Chinese giant Tencent, dominates.
Other Meta apps, like as Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, remained available for download, however usage of such international apps is prohibited in China due to the country’s “Great Firewall” network of filters, which restricts access to foreign websites like Facebook and Google.
“The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns,” the company stated in a statement.
“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” the company added.
Meta didn’t immediately respond.
Apple Pulls WhatsApp And Threads From App Store On Beijing’s Orders
Apple, previously the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer, has lost that position to Korean rival Samsung Electronics. The US company has faced headwinds in China, one of its top three markets, with sales falling after Chinese government agencies and state-owned company employees were told not to bring Apple devices to work.
Apple has been expanding its production sites beyond China.
Its CEO, Tim Cook, has been visiting Southeast Asia this week, visiting Hanoi and Jakarta before concluding his trip in Singapore. On Friday, he met with Singapore’s deputy prime minister, Lawrence Wong, and “discussed the partnership between Singapore and Apple, as well as Apple’s continued commitment to doing business in Singapore.”
Apple has vowed to invest more than $250 million to develop its campus in the city-state.
Cook visited with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh earlier this week in Hanoi, promising to spend more money on Vietnamese suppliers.
Apple Pulls WhatsApp And Threads From App Store On Beijing’s Orders
He also met with Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo. Cook later told reporters that they discussed Widodo’s intention to increase manufacturing in Indonesia, and that Apple will “look at” it.
SOURCE – (AP)
